A typical biopsy needle comprises a hollow cannula having a sharpened distal end and a stylet that is received coaxially within the cannula, the stylet having a sharpened distal end that protrudes from the distal end of the cannula. The stylet and cannula commonly are releasably joined at or near their proximal ends. In bone marrow biopsy procedures, the cannula and stylet are forced with great pressure through the outer, hard layer of a marrow containing bone such as a hip bone. Once the softer, internal region of the bone is reached, the stylet may be withdrawn and a specimen is obtained by advancing the cannula itself further into the bone. Perhaps the greatest difficulty in bone marrow biopsy procedures is the step of penetrating the hard, outer layer of the bone in a controllable manner. Stylets and cannulas have been designed with various sharpened distal ends to facilitate bone penetration, and representative of these are the stylets and cannulas shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,919,692, 2,426,535, 3,598,108, and 4,256,119. There is yet a need for a biopsy needle having stylet and cannula tips that can more readily penetrate bone.